The techno-social environment
We learned this about platforms a long time ago: following the old newspaper schematic, they aren’t the printing presses, but rather the assignment editors.
Robin Sloan • Platform reality
The network is less a tool than a habitation, less an apparatus than an environment. We don’t just use it to get things done. We are, as Adorno foresaw, incorporated into it as components. We’re nodes, continuously receiving and transmitting signals. The ethos of the system is one of documentation and representation. We’re all jointly engaged in th... See more
All the Little Data


collective effervescence : a heightened emotional state resulting from simultaneous social participation. Just as singing gospel music can bring about a deeper connection to God, so too can participating in a meme or TikTok trend.
you're literally worshipping your phone
The New Legislators of Silicon Valley - The Ideas Letter
theideasletter.org
We are in a system that is designed to blind, distract, and blur - the infinite scroll.
Everything Feels Like It Doesn't Make Sense

From, The Master Switch
This current manifestation of the internet and consumer technology is insidiously powerful because of the way that it can mimic these loops that evolved for other things and were necessary for our survival. They’re now essentially being co-opted by a sort of fake system. The tech systems have gotten so good at mimicking these ancient reward pathway
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